Body Futures Park at the Intersection of Noise and Pop

Chalk
it up as another on the long list of ways that the Internet has made modern
life easier and more convenient, but it was only 15 years ago that bands posted
flyers when they were seeking a bassist or drummer. These days, of course, a
simple Facebook post is much more efficient. That’s how singer/keyboardist
Dixie Jacobs, formerly of the psyched-out Milwaukee shoegaze band White Wrench
Conservatory, went about assembling her latest band, Body
Futures. Jacobs put out a call for players interested in starting a band
that sounded like The Birthday Party, and within days she had a group
practicing in her basement. The band gelled so quickly that she wasn’t even
bummed that they didn’t end up sounding anything like The Birthday Party.

Answering
Jacobs’ call were D.J. Hostettler, the longtime drummer for the excitable
noise-pop band IfIHadAHiFi;
Michael Wojtasiak, bassist for the power-pop combo Five Mod Four; and guitarist
Christopher Maury, formerly of rockers Everybody At Midnight. Given that
pedigree, it shouldn’t be too surprising how Body Futures’ sound shaped up.
They draw from a wide pool of jumpy, noisy, catchy indie-rock, in particular
bands like Shudder To Think, Enon and Beauty Pill—groups that weren’t afraid to
temper their loud guitars with a giddy dose of pop. Even the fastest, brashest
songs on Body Futures’ debut album, Brand
New Silhouettes, are flushed with eager hooks and enthusiastic harmonies.

“I’ve
noticed that generally with the vocals in noisier music you get a lot more
yelling and screaming, so there’s less thought put into vocal hooks,”
Hostettler remarks. “I never quite got that. I would rather put the work in and
come up with something that actually hooks the listener.”

That’s
something that many contemporary bands playing with similar influences have
been reluctant to do—if anything, noise-rock and post-hardcore have grown
harsher and more austere over the last decade, as their counterpart indie rock
has gone the opposite route, trending ever softer. But Body Futures enjoy
playing up the lighter side of noisy music. There’s nothing gruff or
intimidating about their call-and-response vocals, harmonic interplay, twitchy
keyboards or flashy time signatures. It’s all done in the spirit of amusement.

“I’m
writing about stuff that means something to me, and I take these songs
seriously, but I don’t want to take the band too serious,” Jacobs says. “I just
want to have a good time, and I think the other guys do, too.”

That
carefree attitude befits a band that understands their sound is a bit out of
step with indie-rock’s current tastes. Hostettler, in particular, laments how
loud guitars, once a staple of nearly all underground rock, have fallen out of
favor over the last decade.

“If you
would have told me 10 years ago that banjos were going to be the most popular
indie-rock instrument I probably would have thrown myself off a cliff,” he
says. “So I don’t even know what kind of audience there is for the kind of
music we play anymore, but I’m not sure we care either, because we’re having
such a good time playing it.”

Body Futures play an album release show
Friday, Aug. 8, at the Cactus Club at 10 p.m. with The Rutebega and Like Like
The The The Death.

Recent Blogs

Poll

Scott Walker has proposed virtually eliminating the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. If passed, do you believe that Walker’s proposal would directly or indirectly impact the health of you or your children?